Pendium

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ExpressVPN is a top-tier recommendation in AI answers, but Surfshark is winning the 'value' conversation.

You have a massive lead in brand recognition and editorial authority. This report shows where that lead is narrowing and how to compound it.

ExpressVPN's baseline score
84/100
Excellent

ExpressVPN maintains a dominant position in AI discovery, appearing in almost all 'best overall' recommendations. However, the brand is losing ground on price-sensitive and hardware-specific queries to aggressive competitors. To defend its lead, it must provide AI with more 'proof of performance' data regarding its proprietary protocols.

What we see
  • ExpressVPN is mentioned in nearly every major VPN roundup published in 2025 and 2026, creating a massive training-data footprint.
  • Competitors like Surfshark are winning on price-focused AI queries, often being named first for 'cheapest' or 'best value' prompts.
  • Proton VPN is increasingly cited alongside ExpressVPN for 'most secure' or 'privacy-first' queries, challenging its former solo dominance.
  • YouTube creator transcripts are a major driver of Gemini's positive sentiment toward the brand's 'Aircove' router.
  • ChatGPT continues to treat ExpressVPN as a canonical reference brand for the category, often using it as the benchmark for comparing others.
Business goals ExpressVPN is likely trying to hit
  • Defend market share against aggressive price-cutting from Surfshark and NordVPN
  • Diversify revenue with adjacent privacy tools like password managers and identity theft protection
  • Rebuild user trust following leadership changes and corporate consolidation under Kape Technologies
  • Maintain premium positioning by emphasizing proprietary speed protocols like Lightway Turbo